Dim sum classics, with a twist

The vibe

The crowd

The food

The service

Our Review

Tell us about your first impressions when you arrived.With its mirrored ceilings and mismatched walls, Dragon King's decor won't win any awards. But don't fault them; it's simply an attempt to appear more modern, which is typical of Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong. The most important thing to diners is that the restaurant is clean and spacious. There are several locations around the city, mostly in off-the-tourist-track residential and commercial areas, but the Kwun Tong branch is one of the largest and most popular.

What was the crowd like?If you want to get a sense of how Hongkongers spend their weekends, go to Dragon King for brunch, when multi-generational families pile their tables high with dim sum. On weekdays, expect office workers from the neighborhood out for team lunches and birthday celebrations.

What should we be drinking?Don't be fooled by the visible wine cellar; sure, there's a wine list, but the bottles won't interest anyone who really enjoys wine. (In which case, BYO bottle and pay the inexpensive corkage). In addition to tea and soft drinks, there are sometimes specials, such as freshly made soy milk, watermelon juice, or sugarcane tea.

Main event: the food. Give us the lowdown—especially what not to miss.When Hongkongers began looking for Cantonese cuisine that pushed the envelope in the early 1990s, Wing-chee Wong, then an executive chef at the famed Lei Garden group, stepped up to the plate. He then went on to start Dragon King, where he offers twists on dim sum classics, like molten custard buns with pumpkin, or mushrooms other than shiitake in dumplings. All the dim sum is cooked to order and you really can't go wrong (many dishes are still traditionally executed), but don't miss the char siu (barbecued pork).

And how did the front-of-house folks treat you?At a restaurant as busy as this one, efficiency and accuracy are essential; Dragon King delivers on both counts. The only slight hiccup is the reservation process—even if you've book a table, you can expect to wait for it on busy days.

What’s the real-real on why we’re coming here?Plan to arrive with a group, so that you can try as many things as possible (you'll want to). But know that lots of other people will have the same idea; dim sum is a social meal, and noise levels can be high at peak hours.